Real Love and Real People: Love on the Spectrum
Photo by Iview ABC.
Overview
Over spring break, a popular Netflix docu-series, Love on the Spectrum, released their 4th season. Love on the Spectrum is a very wholesome show that is all about showing the lives of adults who happen to be diagnosed with autism. This article will simply go over the highlights of the latest season, and my thoughts behind some of the scenes. I urge everyone to watch this series purely because of how wholesome it is, and how much you can learn about people who happen to be on the spectrum.
The series opens the first season with a message to viewers: “Finding love can be hard for anyone. And for some people, it can feel like an impossible dream. This series follows people on the autism spectrum as they navigate the confusing world of relationships and dating.” The director, Cian O’Clery, and his team for the show work very hard to help these people find love through various dating situations and meeting new people.
Each season, new people are introduced, and we learn a bit about them and their interests. We see how and if they find their forever person. After each season, the people on the show are free to talk about their personal lives via social media and the news. One main character on the show, Abbey, for example, found her person in Season One. After the initial season, she shared her story on Instagram and TikTok. Abbey was asked back for an update each season, with her boyfriend, David. Sadly, after five years, the couple split last week amid disagreement about the future.
Fan-favorite Connor Tomlinson, known for his iconic one liners and attitude, has been a series regular for three seasons. He announced that after the fourth season, he would not be returning to the show because he wanted someone else to have a chance to find love. Another series regular who found love on the show is James. This season included James and his girlfriend, Shelley, living happily ever after, showing that people can indeed find love on the spectrum.
Love on the Spectrum is a wholesome series dedicated to helping people diagnosed with autism find love and learn things about themselves, but the viewers also learn things about themselves along the way. This show enters into the lives and brains of people who sometimes think differently than neurotypical people do. Seeing how other people cope with things like heartbreak and rejection can help us figure out how to navigate these emotions as well.
New Season
Logan
The first episode opens with a new person, Logan. He’s from Las Vegas, Nevada, and likes trains, Hannah Montana, and girls with “curvy-straight” hair. Logan is my favorite new person on this season because of his personality, as well as some of his funny moments, which we’ll get to. After introducing himself, Logan is met with the crew who asks him what’s happening. He replies: “Ah, nothing. Just opening the door.” Whether Logan took the question literally, or was just debuting his sense of humor, he immediately found his place as my favorite of the season. As Logan prepares for his first date, he goes suit shopping so that he can be classy when he meets the possible love of his life. After deciding on a royal blue, velvet suit, Logan meets Jennifer Cook, an autism expert, to help prepare mentally for his first date. His first date was with Hailey. They liked each other, so they started dating, met each others’ parents, and even kissed a couple times! Unfortunately, it was disclosed at the end of the season that Hailey ended the relationship between them.
Madison
Another person who has come back for this season is Madison. Last season, she found her “cowboy sweetheart,” Tyler. In my professional opinion, Tyler and Madison are perfect for each other because of their opposite personalities. Where Madison tends to get stressed very easily, Tyler remains calm and helps the situation deescalate. At the beginning of her Love on the Spectrum journey, Madison told the producers that this show was going to help her find her person. Seeing that journey come full circle not only on the show, but also through social media, has been an added bonus to an already great show. This season, Madison announces that she’s moving to be closer to Tyler, signaling the start of the next step of their relationship. Madison is an advocate for autism and other diagnoses, like her OCD. Upon her request for an autistic doll, Barbie sent her her very own “Autistic Barbie” with noise-cancelling headphones, a fidget spinner, and a communication pad for non-verbal communication. Madison has always been a strong advocate for people on the spectrum, as have many others that have emerged from the fame of the series. The first date we see with Madison and Tyler this season is Madison’s first Valentine’s Day with a boyfriend! Tyler is so affectionate and thoughtful when planning their dates and his gifts, and you can truly tell that he knows her. While her success story is highlighted all over social media, it is revealed that Madison and Tyler get engaged! The end of the season concluded with almost the whole cast getting together for their engagement party.
Emma
Next on the new character list is Emma. Emma lives in Provo, Utah. She likes The Nightmare Before Christmas, and doing impressions. Always having had an affinity for boys, she is excited to find someone to call her own. Emma has a fear of awkward silence on dates, which is ironic because of how she often doesn’t know what to say because of how nervous she is. On her first date, she meets Austin. While he carries conversations, the awkward pauses of nerves and slow reactions ultimately turned her away from continuing to see Austin romantically. About a month later, Emma meets Eric. After a couple of dates and finding out more about one another, Emma and Eric are taking things slowly at the end of the season.
James
James B. Jones is still one of the show’s favorites. This season, you really get to see him open up more thanks to Shelley. It’s honestly really sweet how much James lights up when he talks about her, and he never seems to have a bad word to say. Over the course of the season, James and Shelley go to Cape Cod, look at houses together, and give viewers a really nice glimpse of what love on the spectrum can look like. Their relationship feels genuine, comfortable, and full of care. It's fun to watch James become more relaxed and confident around her. Together, they make one of the sweetest parts of the season.
Connor
Connor and Georgie have been dating for just over a year. At the beginning of the new season, Connor expressed doubts after getting mixed signals from Georgie. His family, his mom, step-dad, two brothers, and sister, all help Connor with the struggles of the dating world. While he has some trouble putting his thoughts into words, he has always been able to communicate clearly. His most famous one-liner for the season was: “Ah yes, the honey and the hatchet.” Connor and Georgie take this a step further after their one-year anniversary, and travel to England together! The audience gets to see most of the trip unfold, but due to more miscommunication among the pair, Connor announces that he and Georgie have gone their separate ways.
Dylan
Dylan is the last new cast member of the season. He enjoys his family and showing off his cool gadgets in his house. After meeting his mom, Dylan goes on his first ever date. Dylan meets Caroline. After finding how much they have in common, Dylan asks Caroline if she would like to go on another date sometime. Once Caroline has time to think about it, she respectfully declines via phone call. After a short break, Dylan goes on a date with a new girl, Melissa. Between their conversations, Dylan makes funny remarks like “Please say you’ve seen all of [the Despicable Me movies], and after his date reads a fortune, he says “Oh God!” After the date, Dylan and Melissa agree to get to know each other more and on a second date. At the end of the season, it is said that the two stayed just friends, but after updates on social media, it is revealed that Dylan and Melissa are dating!
Conclusion
While not every relationship from this show lasts, the memories and relationships made along the way help the cast with not only their improvements in dating, but experience lots of personal growth with their autism as well. I think there is a lot to be learned from people with disabilities, especially from this show, like how to be kind to everyone and how to truly find someone that fits you, not just someone you can have fun with. The last message of this season summarizes the show and the disability perfectly by saying, “Autism is a spectrum. Some experiences are visible, some are invisible. Some autistic people need daily support, some live independently. These are only a few stories of the millions of autistic people looking to find meaningful love.”
